Sheet-feeding machine.



No. 635,792. l Patented Oct. 3|, |899. J. W. MANSFIELD.

SHEET FEEDING MACHINE.

(Application filed Feb. 15, 1898.)

IIE:

(No Model.)

n N l@ na/ZM CP/J @da Tus Nonms Evans co. Pnorollmo., WASHINGTON. n. c,

"i NrrEn STATES "EriceS JAMES w. MANSEIELD, OE BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS,ASSICNOE TO THE STANDARD MACHINERY COMPANY, OE MYSTIC, CONNECTICUT.

SHEET-FEEING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 635,792, dated October31, 1899.

Application led February 15, 1898. Serial No. 670,441. (No model.)

To CLZ whom, t may con/cern:

Be it known that I, JAMES W. MANSEIELD, of Boston, county Of Suffolk,and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Sheet-Feeding Machines and I do hereby declare thefollowing specification, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part of the same, to be a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof.

The invention relates to that class of machines in which a body ofcombed-Out or feathered sheets is placed upon an upper supply-table andis slowly fed' from the same to alower feed-table,where the individualsheets are separated from the body of sheets and advanced to registeringdevices by which each sheet is brought into the correct position to betaken by the grippers of a printing-press or transferred to othermechanism for furtherl manipulation of the sheets. The bank or body ofsheets passes from the supply-table to the feed-table through a curvedthroat, which reverses the position of the bank, so that the bottom ofthe bank upon the supply-table becomes the top of the bank upon thefeedtable. The top sheet upon the feed-table is acted upon bycombing-rolls, which separate said sheet from the bank and advance itbetween revolving rolls, which deliver said sheet to the registeringdevices. With this class of machines the mechanism for separating thesheets from thebank is located under the supply-table and near thecurved throat through which the sheets pass, and it has been customaryto pivot the supply-table at its front end, so that said table can beswung up when access is desired to the separating mechanism or otherparts below the supply-table. lVhen the supply-table is thus swung up,there is nothing to retain the sheets upon the table, and it istherefore necessary to remove the sheets which have not their ends sofar Y advanced through the curved throat that they will not be withdrawnby their own weight when the table is swung up. Vhen the feathered bankof sheets has been thus separated in the curved throat, it is impossibleto replace the removed portion of the bank in the correct relation withthe portion remaining, and it is therefore necessary to exhaust thatportion of the bank remaining upon the lower feed-table and in thethroat and then thread a new bank of feathered Sheets through thethroat.

It is accordingly oneobject of the presentin- Vention to provide aconstruction in which access may be had to the separating and otherdevices under the supply-table without disturbing that portion of thebank of sheets which is in the curved throat between the supply and feedtables, and this is accomplished by forming the supply-table in sectionswhich are pivoted together. lVhen access is desired to the mechanismbeneath the supplytable, the bank on the supply-table may be folded uponitself and be supported by the forward section, while the rear sectionis swung up.

With the above class of machines it is sometimes found after threadingup the machine or after running forsome time that the sheets are notbeing delivered in the proper relation to the side registeringdevicesthat is to say, the sheets may be delivered too far from the sideguides and will not therefore be brought against the guides by thedevices for moving the sheets laterally, or they may be delivered toonear the side guides and will then be crippled against the side guidesby the laterally-moving devices, and in either case the sheets will notbe delivered to the printingpress 0r other machine in proper register.Heretofore when this has occurred it has been customary to stop themachine and to work the bank of sheets upon the tables laterally inrelation tol the feeding and separating devices, and this was repeatedwhenever the sheets were being fed out of proper relation with theregistering devices.

A further object of theinvention is to provide means for convenientlyand quickly adjusting the position of the bank of Sheets with relationto the side register devices, and this is accomplished by making thefeeding-table in sections and rendering the rear section, which supportsthe supply-table and the separating mechanism, laterally adjustable.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows a longitudinal section ofso much of a feeding-machine as is necessary to illustrate theapplication of the present improvements IOO thereto. Fig. 2 is a partialplan view of the lower feed-table with the supports for the separatingmechanism and the upper supply-table removed, and Fig. 3 is a detail ofthe connection between the sections of the upper supply-table.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the cylinder of a printing-pressprovided with the usual front guides 2. The feed board or table 3 isarranged with its delivery end. over the cylinder and in position-to beengaged by the front guides 2. Near the delivery end of the feed-tableare the side register devices 4, which may be of any usualconstruction-as for instance, of the construction shown in Patent No.562,797, granted June 30, 1896. The sheets are delivered to the sideregister devices and the front guides by the deliveryrolls 4-and 5,located on opposite sides of the path of the sheets. The feathered bankot' sheets rests upon the feed-table in the rear of the rolls 4 and 5,and the sheets are separated from the bank and fed successively to theserolls by the action of combing-rolls 6, which may be operated in anysuitable and. wellknown manner. The bank of feathered or combed-outsheets is delivered upon the feedtable from an upper supply-table, whichis arranged above the feed-table with its front end over the rear end ofthe feed-table. The bank of sheets passes from the supply to the feedtable through a curved throat formed between the feed-wheels 7, locatedat the end of the supply-table, and the curved guides 8, secured to therear end of the feed-table. Pressure-rolls 9 are located above thefeedwheels and act to press the sheets against the feed-wheels andinsure a positive feeding of the bank of sheets. The bank upon thesupply-table rests upon endless bands 9, which extend along the upperface of the table, around the feed-wheels, and back over guide 10 androll l1. The feed-wheels and pressure-rolls may be operated in anywell-known manner to advance the bank of sheets through the curvedthroat and to the separating devices.

The supply-table is formed in two sections 12 and 13, the front sectionof which is pivoted to standards 14 at 15 and is supported at each sideby a brace 16, pivoted at 17 to the rear end of rib 16, secured to theunder side of the section. The brace 16 is also pivoted to a link 1S,which is in turn pivoted to the standards 14. The lower end of the brace16 rests upon a stop 19 on the link 1S. The rear section 12 of thesupply-table is provided at each side with a `supporting-bracket 13a,pivoted at 17 below the surface of the front section. Each bracket 13Lis provided with depending arms 20, which engage the braces 1G, and thussupport this section,while allowing it to be readily swung up into thedottedline position, Fig. 1. lVhen it is desired to gain access to theparts under the supply-table without disturbing the bank of sheets inthe curved throat, thatpart of the bank which is upon the rear sectionis folded over onto the front section and the rear section is swung intothe dotted-line position, where it is supported in a vertical positionby the engagement of its front edge with the top of the front section.In setting up the machine for a new class of work, at which time thereis no bank of sheets upon the tables and through the curved throat, theupper table may be swung up about the pivot 15, the rear section beingrst swung up about its pivot, so that the table may be more convenientlyhandled and will occupy less space.

rlhe upper supply-table, the feeding devices for transferring the bankof sheets to the lower feed-table, and the devices for separating theindividual sheets from the bank are all supported by the standards 14,mounted upon the rear portion or section of the lower feed-table. Thissection 21 of the feed-table, which also supports the front end of thebanks of sheets, is so mounted that it maybe adjusted laterally withrelation to the front portion or section of the feed-table which carriesthe registering devices. As shown, the rear section 21 rests upontransverse bars 22, secured between the side rails 23, and said sectionis guided by bars 24, secured to its under surface and engaging thesides of bars 22. A nut 25 is secured to the under surface of thesection 2l and is engaged by a screw-rod 26, journaled in the side rail23 and provided with a squared outer end for receiving a wrench oroperating-handle. By turning the rod 26 the bank of sheets and thedevices acting thereon may be adjusted laterally while the machine isrunning and the sheets presented to the delivery-rolls and registerdevices in the proper manner.

The front portion of the feed-table may be hinged, as at 27, to plates28, secured to the side rails,23, as indicated by dotted lines inFig. 1. The front part of section 21 is cut away, as at 29, Fig. 2, toallow the lateral adjustment of said section.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. The combination of a supply-table comprisin g a front section and arear section pivoted thereto, a feed-table below said supplytable, acurved throat leading from the front of the supply-table to the rear ofthe feedtable, and mechanism for feeding a bank of feathered sheets fromsaid supply-table through said throat, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a supply-table, comprising a front section and arear section pivoted thereto, a feed-table below said supplytable, acurved throat leading from the front of the supply-table to the rear ofthe feedtable, mechanism for feeding a bank of feathered sheets fromsaid supply-table to said feed-table, and mechanism for separating thesheets from the bank on the feed-table, substantially as described.

3. The combination with mechanism for IOO IIO

feeding and reversing a bank of feathered sheet-s, of a supply-tablehaving a front section pivoted adjacent said means, and a rear sectionpivoted to said front section, substantially as described.

4. The combination with mechanism for feeding and reversing a bank offeathered sheets, of a supply-table, having a front section, and a rearsection pivoted to said front section below the surface thereof,substan- 1 tially as described.

5. The combination of a feed-table having afront section and alaterally-adjustable rear section registering devices carried by thefront section, and mechanism carried by the rear section for separatingsheets from a pile of feathered sheets, substantially as described.

6. The combination of a feed-table, having a front section and alaterally-adjustable rear section, registering devices on the frontsection, a supply-table supported by said rear section, and mechanismsupported by said rear section for feeding a bank of feathered sheetsfrom said supply to said feed table, and

mechanism for separating individual sheets from the bank on the rearsection of the feedtable, substantially as described.

7 The combination of a feed-table having a front and a rear section,registering devices on said front section, mechanism on the rear sectionfor feeding a bank of feathered sheets and separating individual sheetstherefrom, and means for adjusting the rear section laterally,substantially as described.

8. The combination of a feed-table having a front section and a rearsection, a supplytable supported by the rear section, a curved throatleading from the front of the supply` table to the rear of said rearsection, feeding- Wheels forming one side of said throat, combing-Wheels supported by said rear section, and means for adjusting therear section laterally, substantially as described.

JAMES W. MANSFIELD.

Vitnesses:

S. K. WHITE, GEO. E. GRINNELL.

